45 attend blood drive benefit for leukemia survivor

MONROE — About 45 people came to an American Red Cross blood drive Thursday at Monroe Church of the Nazarene that honored Elyse (Elly) Wickenheiser of Carleton, a two-time leukemia survivor who turned 16 on Saturday.

It's the 10th drive the family has held for Elly since she was diagnosed with cancer in 2008, said her aunt, Nicole Jaskot, coordinator for the six-hour drive. The turnout was encouraging, Jaskot said.

"It's good to see the support from the community," she said. "These drives have certainly made a difference for our family and to restock the blood bank. Only 3% of people eligible to donate actually give blood."

A total of 38 blood products were collected Thursday, bringing the total to 476 units gathered over 10 years, Jaskot said.

Previous Coverage: Wickenheiser makes remarkable progress in five years since cancer diagnosis

Elly, a sophomore at Airport High School, visited the drive after school. She has received more than 80 blood products during her cancer treatment, Jaskot said.

Among those coming to the drive was Laura Kreger, 52, of Monroe, who donated a double unit of "power reds" through an apheresis machine. Red cells are part of the blood used every day for those needing transfusions as part of their care, said Sandy Castro, a phlebotomist for the Red Cross who assisted Kreger, a mother with six children. Kreger, who has O-negative blood type, has donated red cells three times a year for the past 32 years.

"This is a good way to help people who need a high volume of blood at one time," Castro said.

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Among the volunteers were Elly's mother, Mariya Wickenheiser, and her grandmother, Mary Wickenheiser, who both donated blood along with Jaskot.

The next drive for Elly will be in April 2025.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: 45 attend blood drive benefit for leukemia survivor